>After I talked to the mom, talked to the dad,but it was obviously going in
one ear and out the other.
>Yes, I used all the *I*messages, etc., but he just didn't want to hear it. He
said, *Well, she is just
>going to have to learn, isn't she?* and went right on forcing the bottle into
the poor baby's
>mouth. I could hear the screams....
>
>I called back two days later. The mother answered in a very *flat* voice. The
baby was weaned
>to a bottle, and she was no longer nursing. We talked about expressing enough
to be
>comfortable etc., but I could hear her husband's voice in the background, and
she obviously
>didn't want to talk. This was very scary. Telling her to just answer yes or
no, I asked her
>if her husband had ever threatened or abused her. She was very indignant - no
way!
>They were a Christian family!
>
>Did this constitute child abuse? What else could I have done?

I think this is wife abuse if not both child and wife abuse. However I
don't think our society would consider it so unfortunately unless he
threatened her openly or hit her.

So sad.

Karen


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